Portugal silenced critics on Tuesday with a staggering 6-1 thumping of seemingly weak Switzerland as head coach Fernando Santos opted to spice up things by benching his main weapon Cristiano Ronaldo who sat back, relaxed and enjoyed Goncalo Ramos relishing all the attention after scoring the first hat trick of the World Cup in Qatar to lead into the quarterfinals.
They are now set for a clash with Morocco, who continued their stunning run at the World Cup as they upset disappointing former champions Spain 3-0 on penalties earlier on Tuesday.
Ramos, making his first-ever international start, opened up his gala in the 17th minute, breaking the deadlock for Portugal after an assist from Joao Felix.
Pepe doubled the lead for the Portuguese side, becoming the oldest player to score in a World Cup knock-out stage game. Ramos missed a great chance before the break but made up for it early in the second half, finishing off a low ball from Diogo Dalot.
He then assisted Raphael Guerreiro to Portugal's fourth in the 55th minute before Switzerland managed to pull one back with Manuel Akanji in the 58th.
But any hopes for a comeback were soon dismissed, as Ramos topped his stunning performance by completing a hat trick in the 67th and Rafael Leao netted Portugal's sixth in stoppage time.
Ramos is now the first player to score a hat trick on his first World Cup start since overall top scorer Miroslav Klose for Germany in 2002.
"I don't know what to say, it's a dream come true," Ramos said after the game.
The final score also means Portugal pipped England's 6-2 victory over Iran and recorded the biggest win of the Qatar World Cup so far.
"It wasn't perfect, but it was a very good evening. The team had a great attitude and was focused during every moment of the game. It was a great match," he told broadcasters RTP.
Ronaldo eventually came on but there wasn't much left to do on the pitch as his side proved they are quite well without the Portuguese top star.
He was not named in Portugal's starting team for a game at a major tournament for the first time since 2008.
Coach Fernando Santos said ahead of the Switzerland clash that he "really didn't like" Ronaldo's reaction to being substituted in the World Cup defeat by South Korea, but stressed the option to leave him on the bench "had nothing to do with that."
The forward was taken off 65 minutes into their final group-stage defeat and has denied directing an outburst toward his coach.
"He (Ronaldo) knows perfectly that the most important is the team. What happened today was a choice made by the coach and that has to be respected," Pepe said.
Ronaldo's absence soon proved not to be a problem as his stand-in Ramos controlled Felix's pass to fire Portugal's opener into the roof of the net.
Defender Pepe in the 33rd headed in a corner to make it 2-0 and achieve the milestone of becoming the oldest player to score at a World Cup knock-out match at 39 years and 283 days.
Switzerland was dangerous for the first time in the 38th after keeper Diogo Costa palmed a cross into the danger zone and Remo Freuler headed toward the net but had his effort cleared off the line by Dalot.
Shortly before the break, Ramos slipped through and tried to place the ball into the bottom corner, but Switzerland keeper Yann Sommer made a fine save.
The hat trick scorer, however, didn't disappoint in the 51st, after he netted Dalot's low ball from close range. Just four minutes later, Guerreiro completed a fine team move as the qualification to the quarter-finals became only a matter of time.
Akanji netted a corner into the far post to give Switzerland some consolation in the 58th, but Ramos wrapped up his hat-trick from close range in the 67th.
There was still time for substitute Leao to add his name to the scoresheet, as he played a one-two with Guerreiro before curling a stunner into the net.
Asked if he will start the game against Morocco, Ramos said: "That's not for me to decide. I have to work hard and see what happens."
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa praised his national team saying "it was one of the best evenings of Portuguese football."
"I think the choices made by the coach worked pretty well overall," he told broadcasters RTP3.
After being thrashed by Portugal, midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri apologized to the fans.
"We are very disappointed. On behalf of the team, I apologize to all the fans, we were not able to put up our usual performance on the pitch," he said.
Coach Murat Yakin added: "I'm sorry for the players, for the nation. We had the chance, it's a great squad. We have to accept that some things didn't work out today. I won't blame the team, they tried everything."
